Oddly Enough
by The Old Shame
Summary: In his seventh year, Harry finally finds love... while the final battle with Voldemort approaches.
1. Default Chapter

Oddly Enough…

By Matt

Chapter 1: A Serpentine Warning

_As I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,_

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door… 

---from stanza 1 of _The Raven_, by Edgar Allen Poe

            Harry awoke at dawn on 31 July, 1997, to a rapping on his window. He felt around on his bedside table for his glasses, put them on, and opened the window. Several owls flew in, each depositing a package before leaving. He grinned. His birthday presents had arrived.

            Harry grabbed the top package. The sloppy handwriting on the card told him that it was from Ron. He tore off the packaging to reveal an orange set of robes with "CHUDLEY CANNONS" emblazoned on the back. When Harry tried them on, he felt a not in one of the pockets. He took it out and perused it. It read:

_Hey, Harry!_

            Fantastic news! Mom's accountant cousin apparently just died, and we've each been given about 500 galleons… not sure how much Muggle money. Of course, a lot more went to his immediate family, but that's only proper. I've already spent mine on your present and you'll never guess what else. TWO FRONT-ROW TICKETS TO A CANNONS GAME! It's over Christmas break, so I made sure your robes are insulated. You better wear 'em!

_            See ya soon!_

                        Ron 

            Harry was thrilled and extremely grateful. Ron had spent over 250 Galleons on his birthday present. He made a mental note to splurge on Christmas and Ron's birthday.

            The next present was large, heavy, and rectangular. It was also from Hermione. Harry removed the neat wrapping paper and found himself looking at a much-used copy of _Hogwarts, a History_. Harry found a note on the inside cover.

            _Hi, Harry!_

_            I've memorized this at last, so I figured you might want it. It's much more interesting than it seems, and nowhere _near_ as difficult a read of _War and Peace_ in the original Russian… Trust me on that one._

_            Love from,_

                        Hermione 

            Harry shook his head, smiling, and grabbed the next one. It was extremely heavy, and had a card attached written in a semi-neat handwriting he didn't recognize. He opened the card first. As it turned out, it was from Luna Lovegood. _That's odd,_ he thought. _She's never gotten me a birthday present._ He blinked, then read the card.

            _Hello, Harry Potter,_

_            How are you? I hope you're well. Daddy and I are in Germany right now, looking for melkors. No luck, but I could swear I caught a glimpse of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack once. But by the time I went to investigate, it was gone. It was odd that it was in Germany in the first place, because usually they're found in Scandinavia. Maybe it was a pet. Oh well._

_            About your gift. I thought it may help your concentration, which would be helpful in your NEWT year, wouldn't it? I'm pretty sure I remembered to include the instruction manual._

_            Anyway, I'll see you at school._

                        Luna 

            Harry tore open the package. There, sitting on his bed, giving off a faint silver glow, was a Pensieve.

            He stared at it for a second, then whispered, "Thanks, Luna!"

                                    *                                  *                                  *

            A little later, he finished opening presents. He had gotten Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from Hagrid, a bottle of werewolf repellant from Remus Lupin ("Just in case," the card had read), and, oddly enough, a combination birthday card/death threat from Voldemort. Harry stared at that for a few more seconds before setting it up with the other cards.

            Suddenly, Harry heard faint screaming coming from the kitchen. Racing downstairs, he burst into the kitchen, where the Dursleys were standing on chairs, screaming at the top of their voices at an anaconda that had somehow gotten into the house. Harry strained his ears, but couldn't hear the snake over his relatives.

            Then Harry remembered: he could legally do magic now, couldn't he? He took out his wand and pointed it at the Dursleys, who, if possible, screamed louder. "_Silencio!_" The sound stopped coming out of their mouths, though from the looks of it, they kept screaming. Harry turned to the snake.

            "Why are you here?" Harry demanded of it.

            "I am here to warn you," it hissed in reply.

            "Warn me?" Harry asked. "Of what?"

            "The cobra king's coils are surrounding you here," the anaconda said gravely. "It would be best to escape before it is too late."

            "But how?" Harry asked. "I'm supposed to be safe here!"

            "Don't ask, I don't know," it replied. "But he will arrive within a week."

            "Thank you," Harry said. The snake reared up, inclined its head in a bow, and left through an open window.

            Harry glanced at the Dursleys. It appeared they had stopped screaming, so Harry pointed his want at them and said, "_Finite incantatem_."

            Then his uncle's inevitable rant began. "How DARE you use you-know-what in this house? That madhouse you go to with throw you out!"

            "Now anymore," Harry interrupted. He had no intention of sitting through a rant that would undoubtedly bore him to death. "I can legally use magic now. In our world, seventeen is the legal age."

            "And you're seventeen?"

            "My birthday's today."

            His uncle glared at him for a couple of seconds. "I hate you," he said at last.

            "Feeling's mutual," Harry said. "I'm off to make arrangements to stay at a friend's house for the rest of the summer." He left without waiting for a response.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

So, you like? Please review! Good reviews appreciated, flames laughed at and then used in my Crumple-Horned Snorkack's bedwarmer. Oh, and I forgot to add this at the beginning, so standard disclaimer applies. You know, JKR owns it, etc. etc.


	2. Back to the Burrow

CHAPTER 2:

Back to the Burrow

Sorry it's been a while since the last update. I've had writer's block on this chapter for the longest time, then my computer went ker-FLOOEY when I finally got my lazy brain working again. Anyhoo, on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: Do I really need to tell you that I don't own this? One would think it's rather obvious, seeing as how I'm posting on FANfiction.net. Oh well, standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

  


ONE WEEK LATER

Harry smiled to himself as he watched the clock. In less than two minutes, he would be off to the Burrow for the remaining three weeks of summer break. He couldn't wait to see all the Weasleys, as well as Hermione (who was staying there as well).

Aunt Petunia walked in and sniffed disapprovingly. "When are you leaving?" she demanded.

"Right about noooooowwwww----" Harry trailed off as the portkey activated. He clenched his teeth. It had been a while since Harry had traveled by portkey, and as a result, he had forgotten how much he hated the mode of transportation.

Ron was right there waiting when Harry arrived. Ron helped him over to a chair, which Harry sank into gratefully.

"You're right on time, mate," Ron said. Harry checked his watch. Indeed, the portkey had been set in perfect synchronization with it.

Arthur Weasley walked in. "Ah, Harry!" he said. "How are you?"

"Not bad," Harry replied, and it was true. Now that he had gotten over the portkey, Harry was elated to be back at the Burrow with all of his friends.

"Damn!" someone swore from the other room. As it turned out, it was George, one of the twins. He and his twin Fred were nearly impossible to tell apart, and they were rarely seen apart. However, George was walking in alone, carrying a bucket of something oozy.

"Look who's here!" Harry pointed out unnecessarily. "What's in the bucket, some new prank item of yours?" Fred and George had owned a joke shop in Diagon Alley for nearly two years, and whenever they were home, they were concocting new things to sell.

"Unrepairable Fred," George said, shaking his head. "I told him we shouldn't try the Liquefying Lollies until we came up with a dissolvable cure, but did he listen? Of course not!"

Nobody could hold back their laughter at Fred's predicament. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, Mr. Weasley said, "You'd better get him to St. Mungo's, on the double."

"Aye," George agreed, and Disapparated.

"So..." Harry said, looking around. "Is anyone else here?"

Just then, Ginny walked in with a silver-haired girl who looked around eleven in tow. "Hi Harry," Ginny said. "Where's George?"

"St. Mungo's," Ron said as Mr. Weasley went upstairs. "Has to get Fred fixed." He wandered off to a corner of the room.

"Hey Ginny," Harry finally acknowledged her. "Who's your friend?"

Ginny gave him an exasperated look. "Don't you even remember the people whose lives you save?" she asked in a tone of voice that suggested he was a small child.

Harry took a closer look at the girl. She _did_look sort of familiar. Then it clicked. "Gabrielle Delacour?" he said incredulously.

The girl nodded. "_Oui_."

"Wow, small world, isn't it?" Harry said, still surprised. "The last time I saw you, we were in an octopus' garden!"

"Eet eez a rather small world, eezn't eet?" she replied rhetorically in heavily accented English*.

She came with Fleur," Ginny said by way of explanation. "Apparently, her mother decided that Hogwarts is a better school of magic than Beauxbatons, despite being farther away."

"Ah. Aha," Harry said. "So, who _else_is here?"

"Well, Hermione's been here about a week, Luna's been dropping in periodically, and Remus Lupin shows up when he's not hanging around with some Paul bloke," Ginny reeled off.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Paul?"

Ginny replied, "Yeah, Paul. Really cute for a man in his fifties." She and Gabrielle shared a giggle.

When it subsided, Harry asked, "What's his surname?"

Ginny frowned in thought. "What was that Paul blokes name, Ron?" she called to where Ron had drifted. "McArtrey, right?"

"McCartney," Ron called back.

"That's right," Ginny said. "Paul McCartney."

Harry just stood there staring. "So, you mean to tell me that there are at least two girl in the world who, upon meeting an ex-Beatle, don't jump him?"

"I think you're getting him confused with someone else," Ginny said. "He was human."

Harry just shook his head. There were apparently some cultural boundaries that couldn't be crossed.

How wrong he was.

* * *

  


For the next week and a half, not much happened. However, Hogwarts letters arrived, and they all went into Diagon Alley to get their things.

In Flourish and Blotts, Harry ran into Remus, who was dragging around an amazed-looking man who just radiated "I'M A MUGGLE!" Harry looked at Remus. "Who's the little old man?" he asked wryly.

"He belongs to Paul," Remus quipped.

"Clean though, aren't I?" Paul deadpanned.

Harry started digging through his bag. "I know it's in here somewhere... aha!" he exclaimed triumphantly. He emerged with a Permanent Marquill and the "Yesterday" single. He then turned to Paul. "Sign please?"

"Sure, why not?" Paul said, taking the proffered items and signing the cover of the single. He handed them back to Harry.

"Thanks," Harry said, putting a protective spell on it.

"No problem," Paul said genially.

They walked off, and Harry consulted his booklist. All he needed to get was his Care of Magical Creatures textbook, _Newt's Guide to NEWTs_, by Newt Scamander. He grabbed it, paid, and left.

He consulted his list. The only thing he hadn't yet picked up was... He squinted at the list. That couldn't possibly be right. He shrugged. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

He met up with the others in the Leaky Cauldron and they all went back to the Burrow.

* * *

  


Sorry so short, it's mainly a setup for future events. I apologize if it moved slowly or was boring at times, but I'm just getting back into the swing of things.

*From now on, assume Gabrielle's accent… it's a pain in the arse to write. Thanks!

SPOT THE BEATLES REFERENCE! Aside from Paul and the Yesterday single, of course... and the quotes from "A Hard Day's Night". Also, bonus points to anyone who knows where I got the misspelling of McCartney that Ginny used. Sayonara, until next update!


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